Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Damned Regression (3)

Demonic Armament Type.

It was a form of black magic that strengthened one’s physical abilities through mana, but when one looked into the underlying principle, it was far from such a simple spell.

‘Because it temporarily transforms the caster’s body into that of a demon.’

I glanced at the mana wavering around my right arm.

Craaaash!

Even the last five remaining skeletons were swept aside like sheets of paper.

Now the distance between the Undead Orc and me was roughly thirty meters.

“Hoo......”

As I wove a spell formula with the mana gathered in my right arm, I placed a ‘curse’ upon that very arm.

The mana that had merely been flickering around it began to writhe as though infused with new life, then sank into my skin.

Crack-crack-crack!

The capillaries in my right arm turned a dark crimson.

Lloyd’s complexion stiffened, then drained all the way to pale white.

Step.

With all preparations complete, I drew back the arm holding the spear.

Grrrrrr!

A shadow fell over my vision.

Now only about twenty steps remained between the orc and me. 

And with those monstrous muscles bulging in its arms as well— Certainly, it was not the sort of creature that could be dealt with using a single shadow spear.

‘That would only be true if I could use nothing but curse-type magic.’

Creeeak!

I poured every ounce of strength into my right arm, and the tendons swelled.

With this much physical force, it would be enough.

I boldly stepped forward and drove the tip of the spear straight toward the orc’s chest.

Shadow Forging.

Shadow Spear, Giantification.

And with the sound of air being torn apart, my vision was swallowed by black.

***

THUD!

““......””

Silence fell over the sparring arena.

Whether instructor or cadet, everyone’s eyes were nailed to the Undead Orc collapsed on its side.

The fallen body of the Undead Orc trembled as though seized by convulsions.

Grrrk... ngh.........

It struggled to move its body, now rigid with paralysis, but it could not do so as it pleased.

Crack!

A gigantic spear as tall as the orc itself had pierced straight through its chest.

An ominous baleful aura clung to the spearhead that had burst out through its body.

The violet curse flowing from the massive spear remained embedded in the Undead Orc, eating away at the monster’s body.

Once the cadets grasped the situation, their mouths all fell open.

“A shadow weapon?”

“How did he throw something that large?”

Everyone stared at Aron, who had brought down the Undead Orc, with blank eyes as though bewitched.

And every person who looked at the right arm that had thrown the spear sucked in a breath.

Dark crimson capillaries running from his right hand to his shoulder.

That was— “Isn’t that the Demonic Armament Type?”

“He is using three branches of black magic at the same time......?”

Ignoring both the incapacitated Undead Orc and the amazement of everyone around him, Aron rolled his transformed shoulder a few times, then fixed Lloyd with a calm gaze and raised the corner of his mouth coldly.

“A spar is still a spar, so I suppose both you and I ought to see it through to the end.”

“What in the world happened to you overnight......?”

Lloyd could barely force the words out.

Aron’s magic skill, even his combat sense, was on an entirely different level from before.

Even if he had been hiding his true ability for the sake of the graduation spar, there should have been limits.

‘Is this really... the Aron I knew?’

Aron summoned another shadow spear into his right hand, and before Lloyd realized it, he had already taken a throwing stance.

Crunch!

The tendons in his transformed right arm writhed.

Kiiiiii......!

The curse enchanted into the spearhead shimmered.

“If you can stop it, then try.”

At the sight of Aron glaring at him with sharpened eyes, a chill ran down Lloyd’s spine.

It was only a single shadow spear.

And yet Lloyd instinctively knew it.

That attack was dangerous.

Thud!

Aron stepped forward and threw his weight into the spear.

Lloyd hurriedly raised mana with both hands.

The moment both of them moved was almost simultaneous.

Rrrrrrr......!

Lloyd poured all his mana into the ground before him and summoned a large number of skeletons from the earth.

There were fifteen in total.

Clatter......!

Lloyd lined the skeletons up in a straight row.

He could stop it.

With this many skeletons, no attack coming from the front could fail to become entangled in them. 

They would serve as a sufficient shield.

Thinking that, Lloyd fixed his attention on Aron’s movements.

Boom!

With the sound of air exploding, the spear Aron hurled traced a perfect straight line toward him.

It was an honest attack in the purest sense.

At this rate, it would be more than enough— Craaaack!

‘...What?’

The skulls of the skeletons at the very front were pierced through.

‘What is this?’

The upper bodies of the skeletons in the middle were blown away.

‘What is this?’

Bone fragments burst from the skeletons nearest him.

‘What the hell is this......?’

The spearhead wreathed in violet curse-light reflected in Lloyd’s retinas.

‘Why is it this fast!’

It had the sharpness and penetrating force of a crossbow bolt.

There was no time to react.

‘I’m going to die—’

Just as Lloyd’s mind went blank, someone stepped in front of him.

Clang!

A sharp metallic crash rang out.

***

Thump.

Lloyd’s legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground.

Whirrrrr— The shadow spear I had thrown spun through the air, then was knocked down onto the ground.

The rough-looking instructor, who had appeared before Lloyd before anyone noticed, looked back and forth between Lloyd and me.

“Forgive me for stepping in like that, but I assume both of you are familiar with the rules of the graduation spar.”

The rough-looking instructor lowered the leg with which he had deflected the spear.

“In the graduation spar, cadets are free to use whatever techniques they wish. Even if that includes an attack that could take the opponent’s life.”

However— “If an instructor judges that a cadet is about to lose that life, the instructor may block the attack at their own discretion and determine the winner and loser.”

The instructor turned his gaze toward Lloyd, who had gone stiff.

Only then did Lloyd seem to come back to himself.

“N-no. I am still—”

“Still?”

The instructor, idly gesturing toward the shadow spear dissolving into the air, looked down at Lloyd.

“If I had not been here, you would have stopped breathing on the end of that spear, and yet you still want to cling to your pride?”

“Th-that......”

“You lose, Lloyd Desmond.”

“...Ghk.”

Unable to find anything more to say, Lloyd lowered his head and fell silent.

“L-Lloyd lost?”

“Then what happens to the final rankings now?”

“The final rankings are not the issue. That bastard has already reached Triple Class......”

The cadets erupted into murmurs.

Sorry, but I am a little rattled too.

‘So just in case, I even threw the spear, and this really was the graduation spar?’

The graduation spar.

As the name suggested, it was simply the final spar held between cadets before the graduation ceremony, but at Necropia, the graduation spar carried an entirely different weight.

It would not be an exaggeration to say it was an event watched closely by every active black mage.

Every cadet’s performance was recorded by hand by the instructors, and then they were ranked for all to see.

Why go that far?

Because the path of a black mage did not end with graduating from Necropia.

Depending on their talents, specialties, ideals, and convictions, cadets would go on to pursue many different paths after graduating from the academy in order to make their abilities bloom.

In other words, the graduation spar was a stage upon which cadets aspiring to become black mages could display their ability and talent to the world without reservation.

Before I regressed, I had failed to defeat Lloyd in the graduation spar.

That was why Lloyd had graduated as valedictorian, while I had graduated as salutatorian......

But just now, I had defeated the cadet set to graduate at the top of Necropia.

And I had done it while using three branches of black magic.

Haha.

I’m screwed, aren’t I?

‘Damn it, everything already went off the rails right from the start.’

I had never expected the past to change in a way like this.

At this point, I would probably have to rethink my plans altogether......

Throb.

‘......!’

A sudden bolt of pain shot through my right arm, making me suck in a short breath.

What a complete mess. 

As if I did not already have enough to worry about.

I had tried to keep it within the limits of what this fragile body could handle, but even taking that into account, I must have overused it.

Crack-crack!

After returning my transformed right arm to normal, I lifted my wrist to rub the arm, which had begun trembling uncontrollably.

And in that brief instant— I saw it.

Flash.

A faint golden glimmer on the back of my right hand.

‘...Huh?’

It lasted only a moment, but I had seen it clearly.

I stared blankly at the back of my hand, mouth slightly open.

‘Was I seeing things?’

No way.

When I had returned to the past, I had assumed the sacred mark the Sword Radiance engraved on the back of my hand had disappeared.

Yet that golden flash just now had unmistakably been a trace of the Sacred Mark.

‘No way......’

Even after returning to the past, it had not vanished.

“Still, Cadet Aron, I truly did not expect you to use not just curse-type magic, but three branches of black magic together during the graduation spar. You only attended curse-type classes at the academy, did you not?”

I did not know why, but one thing was certain.

If I could only learn how to properly use the sacred mark the Sword Radiance had given me, it would be an immeasurable help in changing what lay ahead.

“Whatever the case, it is astonishing that someone your age can wield three branches of black magic to that extent.”

“......”

“Judging from the result of this graduation spar, every black mage across the Luknica Continent will look at you in a different light now... but do not let your expectations grow too large. One never knows how the world will turn.”

But I had no idea how to use this thing called a sacred mark.

It was not as though I had ever used one before.

“...Cadet Aron, are you listening to me?”

“Ah.”

I lifted my head and slowly swept my gaze across the faces gathered around the arena, including the rough-looking instructor.

It was obvious at a glance that they had plenty they wanted to ask, but I had no intention of telling them the truth.

‘Who in the world would believe I regressed?’

For now... I should first determine whether I could use the sacred mark at all.

The result of the graduation spar had already passed beyond my control.

Rather than cling to something that could no longer be changed, it was more productive to understand what I could do right now and make plans accordingly.

“I appreciate the praise, but I think I overdid it a little....... I would like to rest.”

“Is that so?”

The instructor, who had been swallowing down his disappointment, finally nodded.

“Well, after displaying that kind of battle, it is only natural that your body would be exhausted. Get plenty of rest today.”

With the end of the graduation spar between Lloyd and me, those of us scheduled to graduate—including myself—were given free time for the rest of the day, until curfew in the Necropia dormitory.

Every cadet leaving the arena stole glances at me, but none of them tried to speak.

Then again, perhaps simply not speaking was the best I could hope for.

“Eek!”

The moment cadets met my eyes, they hurriedly looked away and nervously widened the distance between us.

It was not as though they were doing this out of thoughtful consideration.

“Hey, keep your eyes down if you know what’s good for you. Do not even make eye contact.”

“If Aron singles you out, it will be a headache.”

“He was already a mad dog to begin with. Now that he has even beaten Lloyd, he is really going to run wild......”

I could hear every word you little bastards were whispering.

Yes, House Bayonel was one of the famous four great families of the Dark Empire, but if that were the only reason, these cadets would not be reacting with quite this much terror.

Hmm, just how had I spoken to the other cadets back when I attended Necropia again......

‘With skills like that, how did you even get admitted to Necropia? Ah, did you bribe an examiner?’

‘Other than Lloyd Desmond, the lot of you are all pitifully beneath notice.’

‘Pathetic bastards....... If I were an instructor, every one of you would be expelled. Do you understand? You worthless worms.’

‘You are cadets of Necropia, and this is all you can do? Hahaha, I feel sorry for the mother who gave birth to you.’

Ah... well......

Let us not think about that any further.